Incomplete Life (2014)

SENSATIONAL SHOW and ACTING

For almost two years, I passed by this series, annoyed that it was in my presence so much. Finally, I looked at a couple of reviews on this website, and decided, OK, “I’ll watch!” I was interested, then became mesmerized, as the series progressed. That which was comedic was hilarious; that which was drama—the basic show—was sensational! I recognized Kang So-ra (Revolutionary Love, The Beauty Inside); Kim Dae-Myung (Hospital Playlist); Im Si-Wan (Run On, Summer Strike), and Kang Ha-neul (When the Camellia Blooms). All were great, simply fabulous! Someone I had not seen and was spellbound by his acting, was Lee Sung-min! SENSATIONAL! Sung-min was/is so dynamic, I looked for other works of his and am watching. Misaeng is rewatch worthy—although long. There was only one, 10-15 minutes (maybe) that was puzzling, in the last episode. Never quite connected for me. I’m still wondering, WHY?! Could have used that time to tie up loose ends of relationships. Still, in its entirety, this show is/was a 10!

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Fall in love with complexity of real life and the comfort of conversations and relationships

I feel like this show is a bit predictable but a bit original, so a bit of both.

First, I like an underdog fighting its way through the corporate world. I like each intern’s little journey to develop themselves. I like little moments of humour they sprinkle throughout the show. I like how they show all the real struggles of life which makes this show really comforting to watch. I like how they relate real life to playing badeuk which makes the show intriguing and interesting.

But at the same time, I feel like each cliffhanger or some of the episode arcs seem a bit predictable but I still like watching them.

Sometimes others might think it’s too slow, but I think every scene is placed there to create the feelings.

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WE ALL HAVE A INCOMPLETE LIFE

Misaeng is a type of K-drama you will love if you are into business or have any knowledge about it...Its main focus is on the business aspects and it delivers on that...even if you are not into business you will still appreciate the characters and the message the show is trying to deliver.

The Story of the main character is that he wants to find his place in life...He wants to prove himself to others and find his meaning in life...The story constantly shows how poorly he is treated by others
He always tries his best but fails many times

All the characters have their own story and motivations...we see them grow and develop into better workers and people...and their stories do not make the main plot messy but it elevates it into a different level

The drama is not on the nose with its message and characters, you are shown how they feel just by their emotions...It shows how great the acting was

The main criticism the show can get is the main character is more of a silent type and may seem boring to some, but if you can understand him and relate to him you will find his character to be well written, but that’s up to personal preference

The drama is very much business focused and it may confuse you at some parts because of the heavy business knowledge this show drops on you

But it is a good watch if you like dramas like Reply 1988 and Hospital Playlist

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I am so lucky to be able to come across this drama. That is the main gist of what I want to say. I never imagined giving a drama such a high rating, especially an office drama omg. I finished this a few days ago, but it honestly took me a few days to sit down and write this because a huge part of me didn't want to let this go. Another reason would be because this drama touched me in such a way it's hard to even put the feelings into words but here I go:

Wow. Just wow. This is easily one of the best kdramas I have ever seen in my life. Half of me wants to go back in time to when this drama first came out and kick myself for looking at the plot with disinterest, because I am embarrassed to admit that at that time, I was one of those people who only watched romance dramas. However, the other half of me is so glad I watched this drama right now, as if the universe knew this is the time when I needed it; when I'm in a place so familiar to Geurae and the other newbies: struggling in a vast corporate world where I'm desperate to find my own footing.

To the people who might have found it slow, I would like to argue that's why it was so unbelievably touching. It focused on growth and actual development of characters rather than a fast moving, wacky plot; and much like real life growth is slow and progress feels almost dragging. It was so rooted in reality it almost felt painful to watch, but thats what made the high moments feel even more euphoric. It was so mirrored in reality, with some days being endlessly painful or uneventful, but then turn around and become chaotic and surprising. The plot wasn't unexpected like a gripping action movie or a suspenseful thriller, but its unexpectedness was based on its similarity to life's ups and downs, how it lands us in unfamiliar places.

Honestly, I want to keep going but I'll praise it endlessly. The actors were beyond amazing. I don't remember the last time I've seen an ensemble cast where everyone carried their own weight, everyone shone during their own time, everyone matured and grew in a way that even characters I hated, I ended up adoring. I don't even understand how it happened, but that's what happens when there is CHARACTER GROWTH and actual delicate CHARACTERIZATION instead of merely focusing on creating a unique plot. The direction was incredible; so many times the shots were taken in ways that the viewers almost had trouble grasping what the characters were thinking, so much like real life where we struggle to connect with others and understand their point of view.

Despite not knowing much about Baduk, I loved the analogies and I can only fathom how much more impactful it must be for native Korean speakers to watch this, especially Korean Baduk players. I can understand why this was such a hit, why it is still a cultural phenomenon in Korea. It truly connected with me on a level I didn't even expect. I listen to the OST's like they are the soundtrack of my life, everything was almost flawless and fit together in this show like a perfect puzzle. Now I only hope, with inspiration from Chief Oh, to keep enduring in my "misaeng" (incomplete) life and to someday win, and achieve my own "wansaeng" (complete) life.

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Worth a watch :o)

This is an extremely belated post/ review because I watched this several years back. I just want to keep a record of what I have watched (as much as possible).

From what I remember, this drama is quite exciting. The acting by the leads is excellent. A slice-of-life in the office kind of drama whereby people work hard to keep their jobs/ climb the corporate ladder. I remember feeling similar feelings as the characters as they struggled and tried their utmost.

This is a believable/ realistic drama with an excellent cast of actors and actresses who can act. They delivered. They brought the feels. I recommend this drama even though it is an old one. If you have not watched it and you like office type of dramas, give this a go. :)

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It teaches me a lot--literally

I watched this as I wait for the next episode of Summer Strike and it was the best thing that I did last week! God, this drama is so good. This slice-of-life drama doesn't only get me reflecting on my own life but also triggers my strategic thinking. The way the characters interact with one another also gave me some ideas on how to handle different people. The plot is also quite good, I didn't remember watching this quality in slice-of-life drama back in 2014. The scenes are all efficient. Everything that happens has its' meaning that we can see later on. There's no useless scene, really. I enjoy watching every moment in it.

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O drama para você nunca querer trabalhar em um ambiente corporativo

Infelizmente, não é meu caso, já que trabalho há anos em escritório, mas hoje estou salva pelo home office. Tendo essa experiência, impossível não associar algumas situações do drama sem sentir alguns gatilhos. Porém, talvez até por questões culturais (ou por sorte minha?), os conflitos do drama são bem mais hardcore. O drama retrata uma rotina de abusos e assédio normalizados por todos que estão inseridos naquele meio. A pergunta que fica é: cadê a CLT desse pessoal?

Pois bem, começamos o drama sofrendo desconsoladamente pelo Geu-rae, um ex-jogador de GO que, por mais talentoso que fosse, sua rotina doméstica e familiar evitou que ele conseguisse se profissionalizar. Por indicação, ele foi trabalhar numa empresa de comércio, o que gerou comentários e atitudes maldosas por parte de seus colegas que viram tal indicação com maus olhos. Achei interessante que, no momento que passa a introdução da história dele e entendemos de onde vem suas motivações, caímos na sua rotina de adaptação na empresa e nas suas diversas situações e problemas. Vemos o personagem crescendo naquele meio, melhorando seu relacionamento com seus colegas e suas habilidades de trabalho. Assim, vem uma sensação de estabilidade. O tempo vai passando até que, lá pelos últimos seis episódios, vem à tona a questão dele ser um funcionário temporário e a desgraça cai sobre nós novamente. Um aspecto bastante interessante do crescimento de Geu-rae é que ele sempre associa os ensinamentos do GO nas atividades e dinâmicas do escritório, mas vai aprendendo, na raça, que nem sempre a teoria funciona naquelas situações. Ele fracassa diversas vezes. Esse realismo e o pouco uso da idealização das circunstâncias (e personagens) é maravilhoso!

Um dos pontos mais bonitos do drama é que, no fim, muito se resume à relação do Geu-rae e do Sr Oh, que é o chefe da equipe de vendas onde o Geu-reau é alocado e é um sujeito à beira de um burnout. Durante todo o drama vemos como um ajudou o outro a crescer como profissional e como pessoa. Muita da pressão que o Sr Oh sofre está relacionada à sua personalidade forte e relutante em ceder à todas as restrições da empresa. Ele tem seus princípios e sempre dá um jeito de segui-los de forma que não prejudique a companhia. Um impacto claro da sua relação com o Geu-rae é quando ele deixa de lado esses princípios ao tentar manter o novato na empresa e torná-lo funcionário fixo.

Os demais novatos que entraram com o Geu-reu na empresa também tiveram ótimos destaques!
O Baek-ki é um mala egocêntrico aprendendo as verdades da vida. Levou muitas cortadas do seu colega, Sr Kang, e foram esses golpes de humildade que o ajudou a refletir sobre sua própria arrogância.
Particularmente, me identifiquei um pouco com o Seok-yul sobre ver outros se beneficiando em cima do seu trabalho. Ele é bastante extrovertido e vê-lo perdendo a animação, aquele brilho no olhar, pelos abusos de autoridade do Sr Sung, foi bem triste. A mudança de corte do cabelo foi bastante simbólica. Ele aprendeu, na marra, que não se deve combater fogo com fogo. No fim, ele focou no que importava: fazer bem o seu trabalho e deixar o carma agir sobre o Sr Sung. Porém achei um equívoco grotesco terem retratado ele como um pervertido, no começo da história, com algumas atitudes que beiravam o assédio. E pior: foi usado como artifício de humor no drama. Numa narrativa que condena diversas situações de abuso, isso me pareceu um pouco incoerente.
Finalizo com a Young-yi, que comeu o pão que o diabo amassou, tanto no serviço quanto em casa. Ao chegar na empresa, ela se submete ao assédio moral e maus tratos dos colegas. É extremamente frustrante o quanto ela abaixa a cabeça para essas situações. Ela realmente não retruca ou combate em nenhum momento. Porém, quando ela conta sua história, todas essas atitudes fazem sentido. Ela sempre foi rejeitada pelo pai por não ter nascido homem e sustentou a família que sempre perdia dinheiro em maus investimentos; então, lutou desde nova para garantir sua independência e personalidade própria. Ela prefere se adaptar para poder sobreviver. Engraçado que a mudança de atitude dos colegas dela veio quando eles viram outras pessoas tratando ela da mesma maneira que eles a tratavam (ou até pior, vide o Sr Ma). Ela conseguiu perseverar no meio de tanto abuso. Não sei se teria tanta força para aguentar e não sei nem se deveríamos ter. É criminoso aquele ambiente de trabalho.

Para finalizar, passei o drama inteiro tentando entender quais seriam as circunstâncias que levariam àquela perseguição do início. Por mais que tenha sido legal por si só, super bem produzida, contextualizada e tals, achei que ficou tão fora do tom do drama. Pareceu algo à parte, dirigido por pessoas diferentes ou retirado de outra produção que não deu certo. Sei que o Geu-rae já tá amadurecido pela passagem de tempo (que foi de apenas um ano), mas pareceu outro personagem. Pode até ser algo simbólico, por finalmente estarem livres daquele empresa e em um ambiente mais amigável, mas foi uma quebra estranha.

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Misaeng was highly recommended by friends in another website so it was with positive anticipation that I downloaded and started to watch this drama.
What a disappointment, both in Story, growth, character developments, everything felt…. Unfinished.
I really had to force myself to get through the end of this show, maybe there was no drama factor here and I completely missed the plot, it was just meant to be an “as real as possible” interpretation of office life. Show, I really wanted to love you but you ended up disappointing me from the beginning.

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I would absolutely rewatch this!!

I like films and tv shows that have a background or topic that is based on topics that affect everyone in real life, so this is definitely a bonus watching this tv series!! After all mostly you don’t have that much extraordinary happenings or out of this world romance in your life. (Those can be good to watch sometimes, but they never affect me as much.)

The main character and his colleagues develop so much. You get to see flash backs in time bit by bit with the episodes.

I liked the difficult topics - for example career changes, social issues, bullying, corruption - mixed with the particular humour of this show.

I’m not from Korea so the work place drama side was very interesting to watch!!

Of course some things are universal about bosses and subordinates… (my area of of work is quite hierarchical as well with an extremely long training pathway and lots of trappings along the way so I can empathise for sure…) also and you really feel for the characters.

Then there is the aspect of leaving your dream career and how you deal with this in your life. How you are deeply affected by it and how it can destroy you or make you stronger.

I did also enjoy the soundtrack in this and I’ve actually listened to it quite a bit after finishing the series.

Finally, this reminded me of when I tried to learn Go when I was about 18 or 19 years old… incredibly hard!!

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It's a 10

So why I gave it 9.5? I'm asking myself that and I might change my opinion soon. But the answer is not important. Review is just a number when it comes to this drama. You as a viewer has to come up with what this drama might mean to you. And in that aspect it has a lot to offer. First of all, this review is coming somewhat late and it's my first review on MDL ever, so I might not do the drama any justice so I should give up now. But I just couldn't resist hyping up this drama. Because it truly deserves it. I have no idea at this moment what I was thinking when I went into this drama. But after watching, I am left with this feeling of comradeship and a subtle motivation. The latter I think, is in my poor formation of words, is the best thing ever.
This process, this journey of life, that seems to be monotonous many times but without letting you catch a break, that's what this drama is all about. But then, how come you still feel good after watching it. I heartily give up on explaining this point right now and instead recommend you to watch it and find out for yourself.

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